Into the Sun
by sunspirits
Summary: Contains several OC's and their many adventures!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This first chapter is a bit short and starts during the Turn Back the Pendulum gaiden, told in a chronological order. _

_I have a couple friends that are unfamiliar with the premise, thus the explanations._

_This is my first stab at writing a fiction, but it's been fun so far! I've tried to keep the canon characters as close to canon as possible. There are some small changes to the story and silly parts added, but it's all for fun!_

__I did take some creative liberties. Nanao is not in the story, sorry!_ Also, there is a bit of alternate universe sorta? Just some added elements for one of the arcs._

_There are several OC's in the story. It starts out with the oldest first. I also jump into whomever's head is most convenient, hehe.  
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_Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite._

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><p>Hiromi Oshima wandered down a road towards the eighth division barracks. She had been running errands for her vice-captain, Lisa Yadomaru. As she entered the barracks, the people standing around seemed to pull apart. Those standing around unconsciously turned away from the girl as she moved past them, her green eyes barely giving them notice. Appearing to be in her mid-twenties, she was slender and stood at five feet five inches. Her soft brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and sometimes a half bun. She used to wonder why that happened, but she had long since abandoned giving it any thought. Hiromi never thought herself ugly, but never thought herself particularly pretty either. She always kept her spiritual power very low, but she suspected what was actually being felt was somewhat unpleasant. Lisa had informed her once that her reiatsu was uncomfortable to be near, and since then she tried to emit as little as possible. This caused people to not notice her and instinctively move away from her location. She had no business with them, and they had none with her. It had taken a good part of a hundred years for Lisa to cultivate the relationship with the girl, she had been very persistent. Hiromi entered the Gotei thirteen fifty years prior to meeting Lisa. She had graduated in the middle of her class and entered division eight as an unseated officer. She had climbed very little in the ranks after joining and had mused that it was due to her people skills. Many times, she often wondered if she would have been better suited for the stealth squad due to the general lack of awareness to her existence.<p>

The Gotei thirteen is the central part of the soul society, it houses all the current soul reapers. The soul society itself is where souls go when they pass away, if they are not destined to go to hell. Not all souls become soul reapers, and those souls live outside the walls of the Gotei thirteen. It is divided into thirteen divisions, each containing a captain, a vice-captain and around two hundred members each. There are seated positions from the third seat down to the twentieth seat. Being a seated member was a great honor, it meant you had learned the name of your zanpakuto and mastered shikai. Each soul reaper gains a zanpakuto upon entering the Shinigami Academy. When they first get it, it is an unnamed plain katana. As the soul reaper gains skill and power, they will learn the name of their zanpakuto and can also master shikai, which is the first released form. Shikai can take several forms depending on the shinigami. The very essence and nature of each zanpakuto is taken and born from it's master's soul. To become captain, you must gain another release, called bankai. Captain level shinigamis are innately powerful and bankai form can increase their power by five to ten times. Gaining bankai can take from ten to one hundred years to learn and many years of training to master.

Because of Lisa, Hiromi had worked hard to make her way up in the ranks and was proud of being the third seat of the division. It had been difficult for her as she was not comfortable around people. She smiled as she remembered how Lisa had pestered her. No, pestered isn't the right word, it was more like nurtured her. Lisa had seen it upon herself to mother the girl, even though Hiromi was pretty sure she was older than her. And to Lisa, mothering meant dragging Hiromi around with her all day every day it seemed. Hiromi had objected quite a bit at first. Running errands with her vice-captain also meant she spent a lot of time around her captain as well. She was comfortable in the life she built in the division under her captain's rule. He never pressured her to be something she wasn't and she was glad to help when possible. Hiromi liked her captain. He was a pleasant man and gentle natured and always made a point of looking her in the eyes when speaking to her, though she suspected it was because she was female. Captain Kyoraku shamelessly flirted with most women, most obviously with his vice-captain. She always found it amusing the way she shot him down every time.

He had always called his vice-captain Lisa-chan, and promptly started calling Hiromi, Hiro-chan. Lisa seemed a little bothered by the endearment, but Hiromi didn't mind. She never had anyone close enough to use endearments for her. She was glad she now had two people she could call friend, even if they were both her superiors. She knew they both held her in the same regard. It was the two of them who she fought for and would gladly lay her life down for them.

Hiromi sauntered down the hall towards her captain's office. As she neared, she heard him pleading with Lisa.

"Oh, come on Lisa-chan" he whined, "Just one?"

Hiromi grimaced, she knew what 'just one' meant, it was either a kiss or a date. She let out a big sigh and pushed open the door. The two inside both gave her pleading looks, each with a different meaning. Her captain was leaning over Lisa's desk, his pink kimono was draped over the desk. His sakkat had fallen to the floor and his long ponytail was draped over his shoulder. His wavy hair held in place by a pinwheel adorned band.

"Hiro-chan! You have to help me! Lisa-chan is refusing to go on a date with me!"

She looked at the man as he tried his best at imitating puppy-dog eyes. "Captain, do you really expect that to work on me? You silly man."

The man pouted, "Aww, I am hoping one day it will." He gave her a wink.

Lisa rolled her eyes and gave her captain a smack on the back of his head. "That's what you get!" She looked at Hiromi and grinned in triumph as she adjusted her glasses. "About time you showed up Hiromi, I was thinking about sending out a search party for you."

"Oh, were you? I didn't think I took that long, did I?"

"Damn right you did! Did you decide to stop and flirt with every boy along the way?"

"Of course I did!" Hiromi snorted, "But captain, we may need to find some more recruits, the ones I flirted with decided seppuku was more preferable. I shall take a moment to mourn their deaths." She dramatically dropped to her knees on the ground and bowed her head in reverence.

"Why Hiro-chan, I never took you for such the sentimentalist! Those men were fools anyhow! Refusing the advances of such a beautiful woman! And how many times do I need to tell you to call me Shunsui?

"One more time captain, may do the trick." She rose up and produced the papers she had retrieved. "These are the most recent updates on those new attacks."

"This is most unsettling" Captain Kyoraku said as he read the reports. "It says here people are disappearing. Completely!"

"What do you mean by completely?" Lisa asked.

"Hmm, says here only clothing is left behind. Hey, I've got it! They are all skinny dipping somewhere and just forgot to get their clothes. I'm sure of it!"

"I seriously doubt that captain." Hiromi replied, tugging at her long brown ponytail.

"That does sound very odd." Lisa commented while absently redoing one of her braids.

At that moment an alarm went out, "Emergency Summons! All division captains are to report to the 1st division barracks immediately! Emergency within the 9th division! We have lost all traces of reiatsu of both Captain Kensei Magurama and Vice-Captain Mashiro Kuna! This is an emergency! All captains report to the 1st division barracks immediately!"

Their captain was already out of the building when the signal ended. "Ok, Hiromi, watch the place, I have an...errand to run" Lisa said.

"Errand my ass, you plan on spying!"

"Of course I do!"

"Well, I will hold down the fort for you, just tell me everything when you get back!" Hiromi grinned.

"Will do!" she said as she ran out of the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_This can't be good. _Hiromi thought.

_Don't worry too much. _Echoed Shihai, one the twins contained in her zanpakuto. _Shunsui and Lisa will take care of any problems that arise, and you know that._

_Shunsui? You that friendly with him? _Hiromi prodded.

_Yes, and you should too, you know. He cares for you and you care for him as well. You are as close as two friends could be now. No reason in keeping the pretense in good company. _The girl replied.

Hiromi sighed, _Perhaps, but you are right, I shouldn't worry too much, but I just have a bad feeling about this. A captain and a Vice-Captain missing? That means the enemy is quite strong. _Hiromi began to pace around the office.

_If they are strong, we will defeat them. _Shinu chimed in. He was the twin to Shihai. He was always more aggressive in his manner and thinking. Hiromi always appreciated his straightforwardness and honesty in most situations. _You always have your bankai too, Hiromi. You remember right?_

_My bankai?_

_Yes, you have already done what is necessary to know your bankai. We have discussed this between ourselves and we know that you will not misuse us. You have finally found something to fight for, and we felt your resolve earlier today. You would do whatever it took to protect your two friends. Including sacrificing yourself, we have no intention of letting you die. Thus, we will show you how to use your bankai abilities._

_But, I barely even use my skikai, how is it you deem that I am ready to use my bankai? _Hiromi questioned.

_Oh Hiro-chan... _Shihai started.

_You are calling me that too now?_

_Of course! I care for you far more than Shunsui does, so I have more of a right to call you that! _The girl replied. _In any case, you are more than capable and should learn your bankai abilities. You defeat enemies with ease without even releasing your shikai and we understand why you don't use it. You are best at close quarters combat, but we fear there will be times you cannot reach an enemy. You need to know how to use your bankai because we know you are able to control it and to protect the Soul Society and yourself, you will need it. Plus, we have been materialized for years, you just never pursued how to use it. Come visit us, I've missed you! _Shihai crooned to her.

_Ok, but I can't stay too long. The captain will be coming back soon, and I will need to help where I can._

Hiromi settled herself on the floor and began to breathe deeply and slowly in order to focus herself into the state of jinzen. This state allowed her to enter her inner world and commune freely with her zanpakuto. She had entered the state many times, but she was always in a calmer mood. It took a little longer than normal this time due to her nerves.

She blinked and looked around. Her inner world had changed over the years, so her surroundings were not a surprise. Hiromi's inner world used to have no color or sound to it, it was always night time as well. The river that ran through, did not move, it was simply a gray unmoving sludge. The trees by the river never had any leaves nor the ground any grass. The ground was littered with thorns, rocks and scrubby trees.

Over the last hundred years, as she became more comfortable in her role in the division and with her two friends, her inner world slowly began to change. There was a full moon that lit the sky and surrounding area. The trees seemed to be mostly sakura trees, they seemed to bloom when she was the happiest. The river was flowed and sparkled in the moonlight, crisp and clean. There was a fresh, thick mat of grass that covered the entire area. By the river, she could see a large blanket, illuminated by the moon. Even though it was night time, she was able to see clearly. On the blanket, there was a variety of foods and plenty of sake. She knew the sake was the influence of her captain. She didn't drink very much at all usually, but at times she indulged him and had a drink.

The twins were sitting on the blanket. She paused a moment to take in the sight. They both seemed much happier these days too. Maybe it was because she was a bit happier? They were stretched out on the blanket bantering back and forth. She was glad they had each other. Many years ago, after Hiromi had learned their names and her shikai, they explained they were twins because of her desire to not be alone. She smiled as the twins noticed her, Shihai ran over and threw her arms around her.

"I've missed you so much! You need to come visit way more often." Her blue eyes lighting up as she tugged at her braids. The girl's thick black hair was sectioned off and twisted into braids around her head. She liked to toss her head around a lot, claiming it was her 'fringe'. Her ensemble on the other hand, was a bit more ominous. Black leather encased her entire body hugging her frame tightly. Little was left to the imagination on the curvacious woman. On top of the leather, chains wrapped around each part of her body, with spikes protruding at certain points.

After Shihai released her, Shinu put an arm around Hiromi's shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. "She's right you know. You should come more often. We used to see you every day, now sometimes it's only once a week." He pushed her away with his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She could see he truly meant every word. A smile lit up his face. "But it's ok, we know all the reasons you don't come as often, and they are the same reasons this place has color and sound now." He patted her on the head and ran his hand through his black hair. It unceremoniously flopped back over his blue eyes. His hair was short in the back but long in the front, it was constantly hanging over one of his eyes. "At any rate, let's get started, you have little time." He stretched his arms over his head and flexed his chest.

Shihai poked him in the ribs, "Trying to show off those tattoos of yours or something? Flexing like that, tch. She already knows what each of them mean."

Hiromi glanced at the man, taking in his tattoos once again. They covered his arms, chest and back, with little room to spare. She knew what each one signified. They all coincided with significant events in her life and were etched into Shinu's skin to remind her. The most recent was three hearts representing her, her captain and vice-captain. This one had been etched close to his heart. They were the three most dear people in her life and she thought the location appropriate.

"What?" He dropped his eyes and looked at himself. "With all those boys running around the Seireitei, Hiromi need to see what a real man looks like sometimes. I am here to remind her." He plastered a large grin on his face. The grin disappeared with a smack on the head and a giggle from Hiromi. Shinu glared at his sister. "Aww, what did ya do that for?" He rubbed the back of his head.

Shihai stuck her tongue out at him. "Her captain is a real man."

Shinu glowered at her. "Are you saying I'm not? That hurts!" He held his hands over his heart and dropped his head.

"Ok, you two. We need to get started, I still have a bad feeling about what's going on." Hiromi piped in as a small blush crept over her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the sky, listening. Even in this state, she could generally tell if someone was talking to her or in the room.

"Very well, we will make this quick for you, Hiro-chan" Shihai quipped. "Ok, so you see all that food over there? You have to make us dinner! It has to be super good, I even set up a cooking fire there." She pointed past the blanket at a small fire with a pot next to it.

Hiromi blinked at the twins. "Are you kidding me?"

Shinu rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me this was all HER idea." He pointed at his sister. "I would have made you do something ridiculously hard, not something ridiculously stupid. Plus, you already materialized us years ago, remember? You did all the necessary steps, we just didn't give you all the details at the time."

"I do, but you two have to be joking! I don't have time to cook dinner for you at all!"

Shihai snorted, "Fine, fine, make us a couple sandwiches and we will tell you all about your bankai."

"Well, that's manageable, but are you sure that's all there is to it, that's all you want me to do?"

"Listen," Shihai sighed, "we already told you that we have watched your progress, you can handle it. You subjugated us before, there is no reason to do that again. That is all there is to be said."

"She's right." her brother agreed. He put his arm around Hiromi's shoulders and squeezed her close to him. "We want you to survive, this ensures that." He dropped his arm and gave her a soft swat on the rear end, "I like turkey on mine." he said as he winked at her. Hiromi grunted and settled down to make three sandwiches.

"So this has to be the easiest way anyone has ever learned a bankai, right?" Hiromi said in between bites.

"Quit saying that, but it's not like you are going to use it." Shihai mused.

Hiromi raised an eyebrow, "I'm not going to use it?"

"Trust me, I know you. You will never use this unless you or your friends are severely threatened." the girl replied.

"Ok, I get it, I think. So tell me about this bankai."

"The basics first," Shinu chimed in as he moved to sit in front of her, "you know in shikai release we are dual blades? Well, in bankai we reforge to one blade, so you have to readjust accordingly for that. You are excellent in zanjutsu and practice many forms of weaponry, so this should not be a big problem to switch." Hiromi nodded at him as he continued. "The first ability is called Saikou Shihai, or supreme domination. This ability takes control of anyone who is within a radius of one spirit mile to you."

Hiromi gasped. "One spirit mile and all I have to do is activate it? That's insane. You are joking right?"

"He's not joking." Shihai replied. "Depending on how many people are in that mile, you can have a few or an army at your command. They will do anything you ask, no matter what it is. Including die, if that is what you wish. No one is immune."

"The second ability," Shinu broke in, "is called Aenaisaigo, or tragic death. This can be used in either your shikai or bankai form. It causes those controlled to die...well, tragically."

"I could never..." Hiromi broke in. "I could never use that."

"We know. That is why we entrust it to you. We know it will not be misused." Shihai replied. "We are reflections of you and as much as we don't want to use it, we know you don't want to have to use it either. But, it is a vital function of ours. It can save or destroy the Soul Society. We already know how you would use it."

"There are other abilities..." Shinu started.

"No. I do not wish to know them now. This is enough."

"Suit yourself." He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Hiromi looked at the twins. "And to think, to learn a bankai this powerful, all I had to do was make us sandwiches." She shook her head incredulously.

Shinu took her hands and pulled them to his chest. "We know this is a lot for you to take in. But just know this, we love you and are here for you anytime you need us. When you are ready for the rest, ask."

Shihai who was sitting to the left of her, laid her head on Hiromi's shoulder. "Agreed. We will always be here for you. We never want to lose you." She wrapped her arms around Hiromi's waist.

_Hiro-chan! Earth to Hiro-chan! Come in Hiro-chan! This is your captain calling!_

"Oh!" Hiromi jumped up from her spot on the blanket. "I need to get back." She leaned up and gave the twins each a kiss on the forehead. "I will see you two soon." With that, she left her jinzen state.

Hiromi opened her eyes to see her captain with his face only an inch in front of hers. Startled, she fall backwards onto the carpet. His face again appeared in front of hers.

"Hey, are you ok, Hiro-chan?" he cooed.

"Oophf, I will be once you get off of me." she replied coolly.

"Of course, of course!" he replied sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He offered her his hand and pulled her up from the floor. "So, are you?"

"What? Am I what?"

"Are you ok?" he asked earnestly. Hiromi looked at him, there was something in his eyes she couldn't quite place.

"Yes, I was just in my jinzen state." she replied. She looked around. "Where is Lisa?"

"Oh, yes. I sent her to help with the investigations of what happened with the ninth division."

"Will she be ok? Maybe I should go too?"

"No need, Lisa-chan is perfectly capable of handling this one. She will be back when the situation is handled." He gave her a toothy grin and laid his hands on her shoulders. "You look tired, it's pretty late, why don't you get some sleep?"

Hiromi smiled at her captain. "I don't think I could right now. I can't explain it, but I am a bit on edge tonight."

He nodded at her. "It's ok, you can stay here and keep me company if you like. How about some tea?"

"That would be nice." she smiled and moved towards the door. A hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Please, let me do the honors this time." He pulled her over to the couch and sat her down. "Wait here." She nodded as he left the room.

_He's worried too._ Shihai piped in.

_I don't understand why we can't go help. I could do something at least._

_There must be a reason for him denying your request._ Shinu responded.

_Of course there is a reason. A very good one I'm sure, I trust him._ Hiromi replied.

The twins murmured their agreement as her captain returned.

"My, my, what's with that look on your face? Unknit those eyebrows of yours. I have sake!" Shunsui said as he noted the worried look that was etched across her face.

Hiromi groaned. "I thought you were making tea?"

"Well, I was going to, but I figured sake was what we both needed. It will put our minds at ease." He flopped down next to her on the couch. His haori and the pink kimono almost covering her completely. She pushed them off of her and stuffed the extra material between them. He smiled at her and poured her a cup. After pouring his own, he said "Let's have a toast to start the night!"

"A toast, to what?" Hiromi asked.

"A toast to you, of course!"

"To me? Why me?"

"Don't question, just toast with me! A toast to my good friend Hiro-chan! I don't know what I'd do without her!" He raised his cup and looked at her expectantly. "Well?" She raised her cup to his and they both downed their drink.

The sake was warm as it slid down her throat. She grinned. "Captain, would you tell me a story? One from when you and Captain Ukitake were younger?"

"Captain, Captain? Haven't I told you to not call me captain anymore!" He looked at her. "Please Hiro-chan, call me Shunsui." He smiled and refilled her cup.

Hiromi, feeling the effects of the sake already, relented, "Ok, ok, it's Shunsui-chan then! You silly man." She giggled.

"Ah, that's much better. So a story, huh? I have plenty of stories" He launched into a tale of he and his friend playing a prank on the head captain. As he finished the story, he noticed the girl had fallen asleep. He adjusted her so she was laying down, he pulled a small pillow from the other side of the couch and placed it under her head. Carefully, he pushed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry so much, angel. I will always be here to protect you." he whispered. Soon after he joined her in sleep.

Hiromi woke to the sun filtering in through the windows. She opened her eyes and looked up, only to see her captain with his head leaned back against the couch. She realized where she had slept. _How on earth? Did I pass out? _ She wondered. She tried not to disturb him as she rose from her position. As she began to lift from the couch, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Morning, Sunshine!" her captain gave her a lopsided grin.

"Oh, morning Captain"

"Hey, don't you Captain me! Didn't you agree on something more appropriate last night?"

She had hoped he didn't remember. "Oh, I did?" Feigning ignorance. He nodded and stared at her waiting. "Ok, fine! Shunsui-chan."

"Much better! Anyways, where are you sneaking off too?"

"I was going to check on Lisa. I wanted to see how things went last night." Hiromi replied.

"Ah, I will go with you then. I'm curious as well."

Hiromi knocked on the door to Lisa's room. "Hey sleepy head, are you in there?" She waited for a response, but none came and she knocked again, a little louder. "Lisa-chan?" She looked at her captain, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Come on, Lisa-chan. It's Hiro-chan and I, won't you open the door for us?" He waited a moment then opened the door. "Ok, we are coming in anyways! I hope you aren't decent!" he grinned as Hiromi sighed.

They entered the room to find it empty. Lisa had not returned from the night before.

"Lisa-chan?" Hiromi could feel the panic closing in on her.

At that moment, a messenger appeared. "Emergency request of the captain's appearance in the first division barracks immediately."

"Oh?" Kyoraku raised an eyebrow, "What is this?"

"It's urgent and requires your presence right away captain." the messenger replied.

"Well, it looks like I must go." He placed a hand on Hiromi's shoulder, "Wait here for me, once this is done, we will look for Lisa-chan together, ok?" She nodded at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure she is just fine"


	3. Chapter 3

_How am I going to tell Hiro-chan?_ Shunsui thought as he walked back to the barracks. _How did this happen? I knew something felt off last night as I returned. I should have gone with her to help. No, that would have belittled her and Hiyori-chan. I didn't know it would be this bad. What was Urahara-san thinking?_

He returned to Lisa's room to find Hiromi sitting on the futon with her knees pulled close to her chest. He had not seen her look like that since her early days in the division, when Lisa first started bringing her along for everything. He couldn't bear that look. He walked over and sat next to her. She raised her eyes to him, expecting good news. He put an arm around her shoulder.

"Hiro-chan..." he started. He suddenly got up and kneeled in front of her, his forehead touching the ground. "Please forgive me Hiro-chan! There was nothing I could do! Please forgive me for failing you!"

Hiromi gaped at him. "What happened? Where is Lisa-chan?" She managed to squeak out.

He raised his head to look at her. "Lisa-chan is gone, she is not coming back."

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"It seems Captain Urahara has been conducting experiments with hollows. The results of his experiments have turned four captains and four vice-captains into hollows, including Lisa-chan. It has been ordered to exterminate them as if they were regular hollows.

He explained what happened, but by the end of the explanation Hiromi's eyes had glazed over. "Hiro-chan? Say something? Can you forgive me? I have failed you, but you must forgive me!" The girl made no response. He rose up and folded her body against his. She offered no resistance and was limp in his arms. "Hiro-chan...I am so sorry." he whispered into her hair.

_This can't be happening. _Hiromi thought. _Lisa-chan would never leave me. She has to be fine. I'm sure of it. Why doesn't she just come home? She wouldn't leave me, ever. She promised she would never leave. She said she wasn't like everyone else. That's it! I will go look for her. Maybe she is lost._

Hiromi ignored her zanpakuto's protests and stated. "I've decided I am going to look for Lisa-chan. She must be lost." As she tried to get up, strong arms held her securely in place.

"Hiro-chan...she's not lost."

She looked at her captain, "Let me go! I have to find her! Then it will be all ok! Don't you see? She's just lost! I need to find her!" She struggled against the man, but was unable to free herself. "Why won't you let me go? Do you not want me to find her?" She continued struggling for a time. "You bastard! Let me go! This is your fault!" On the verge of exhaustion from struggling, she collapsed into tears. She could feel the captain pull her closer to him while whispering to her.

"It's going to be ok, Hiro-chan. You are a strong woman, and we will get past this." He murmured. "I hope someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me." They remained that way until late into the afternoon. Hiromi had long since cried herself to sleep.

Shunsui picked her up and set her down on Lisa's futon. As he was leaving, he caught an unseated member of the division. "You mind watching this door? If a girl comes out or goes anywhere let me know right away, ok?" He asked. "I will be in my office." The boy nodded and set up post outside the door.

Hours later, Hiromi woke up. She opened the door and peeked out, she saw the boy outside of the door was fast asleep. _I'm not about to sit here and do nothing. I have to look for her. _She focused her thoughts and sought out Lisa's reiastu. She knew there should be traces of Lisa where she was last. After a few moments, she came across a trace of Lisa's reiastu. But it felt different, Hiromi was puzzled, she knew it was Lisa. She quietly sneaked past the sleeping boy outside of the door.

She traced the reiatsu to the place where Sokyoku rested. She luckily never had a reason to visit the hill before. It was an opposing place, the Sokyoku sat on the hill undisturbed during her entire time in the society. It was said the Sokyoku held enough power of a thousand zanpakutos. As she entered the area, she looked up at the large blade. It was easily several hundred feet high, currently sealed. It was only unsealed when an execution occured. She pondered for a second how many executions had taken place there, but quickly moved on. She could feel Lisa's reiastu nearby.

Hiromi caught movement on the far side of the hill. She flash stepped closer and caught a glimpse of the activity. First thing she noticed was a small pile of soul reapers. As she looked closer, she recognized them as the ones that were missing. Captains and vice-captains alike, were among them. She had trouble picking them out as they all wore masks and appeared as hollows. She gasped as she caught sight who she was looking for. Lisa lay among them with a mask covering her face. She knew why her reiastu had felt different, it felt more hollow than shinigami.

At that moment, she also spotted Captain Kisuke Urahara. From what she had heard, he had conducted experiments that hollowfied her best friend. He was with the leader of the Kido Corps as well. Hiromi realized they were trying to escape with her friend and comrades. She could also feel a triple layer barrier had been set up and barrier of that strength would be impossible to penetrate. She considered this and realized she had to use her bankai. She would be able to reach through the barrier with it.

_They will not escape._ Hiromi vowed. "Captain Urahara, I suggest you stop what you are doing and turn yourself in right now. I cannot let you go after doing what you have done." She looked at Lisa again. "How could you? How could you do this to them? They were good people, you had no right to hurt them like this! I cannot forgive you for this!"

"I'm afraid I can't go with you, Oshima-san."

"You give me no choice then." Hiromi pulled out her zanpakuto. "You will come with me whether you like it or not. Bankai!" She increased her reiatsu and was surrounded with a burst of black power that was outlined with blue. Despite her anger, she kept her reiatsu at a manageable level, she did not want it all to leak out. Her blade coalesced into a wider dark blue blade. It had hooks and jagged serrations along the blade making it asymmetrical. She pointed it at the captain, this man would pay for what he had done.

Before she could use her ability, the captain, along with the others disappeared. Hiromi blinked at the empty space. She saw his face so clearly as he winked out of existence. He looked sad and mouthed something that almost looked like 'I'm sorry'. She could feel her anger rising and struggled to calm herself. She had failed; she let him escape and failed Lisa. She knew she had to find out where they went and go after them; she would not let them get away.

Hiromi felt someone appear behind her and swung around, her sword aimed for the kill. She found the tip of her sword almost touching her captain's chest. Her eyes widened in surprise, then shock as she felt a burning pain in her chest. She looked down and saw the end of a blade protruding through her. Unable to stand she collapsed losing consciousness.

Shunsui caught Hiromi as she fell, his eyes widening in shock. He raised his eyes and looked behind where the girl had been standing. He spotted the young vice-captain Gin Ichimaru. He had a wide smile plastered on his face, a familiar look for the boy.

"Oh, Captain Kyoraku, I thought she was going ta kill ya. She had her sword pointed at ya chest, how scary it was. I had ta take action, ya see."

"I see, you took action to save my life, no doubt." Shunsui replied. _I doubt that, _he thought, _this boy is dangerous. I don't trust him at all._

"Of course" the silver haired boy replied. "You should really do something with that." He pointed to Hiromi. "She could die." He then disappeared.

He looked down, "Hiro-chan? Can you hear me?" He frantically realized she was bad shape and pulled her close to him. "Don't leave me yet Hiro-chan, I can't lose you too." He whispered as he flash stepped to the fourth division barracks, they specialized in medical needs.

"I need some help here!" he called out as he entered the barracks.

Captain Unohana appeared before him and smiled. Her eyes rested on Hiromi. "Oh dear, what happened?"

"There was an incident on Sokyoku Hill and Hiro-chan was caught in the middle. She tried to apprehend Captain Urahara by herself." Shunsui replied sadly.

"Alone? Why on earth would she think she could take them on by herself? In any case, follow me, you can put her in this first room."

Shunsui set Hiromi down on the bed inside the indicated room. He was promptly shooed out of the room and the door closed in his face. He began to pace up and down the hall, lost in thought. _Why would she go alone after a captain, not to mention the leader of the kido corps? She's not stupid, she would have known she was outmatched. And what was that blade? Was that her shikai? I've never actually seen her use it, never asked about it, she is plenty capable without using her shikai. Suppose I could ask her about it._

He was interrupted from his thoughts as Captain Unohana emerged from the room. "How is she?" he inquired.

"She will be ok, but she is resting. She is lucky you got her here as fast as you did. Much longer and she might have died. Did Urahara attack her?"

"No, it was Gin Ichimaru. He was on the scene and thought she was going to attack me." he replied.

"I see. Well, she should rest here for a couple days to regain her strength. You can go in if you like."

Shunsui nodded, "Thank you, Unohana-san."

She smiled and nodded as she disappeared down the hallway. Shunsui turned and entered the room where Hiromi laid. She was pale and her brown hair, normally in a ponytail, was splayed around her head. He mused that he had never seen her hair down before. He took a seat on the chair next to her bed and lets out a sigh. "I've failed you again, Hiro-chan." He reached out and picked up some of her hair, he slowly pulled his hand through and watched as it cascaded through his fingers. Her hair had lost some of it's sheen. He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how I could have let this happen."

A few hours later, he woke to the opening and closing of the door. "Ukitake." He said without turning around, as he could tell it was his childhood friend.

"How is she?" Captian Ukitake asked. He sat next to Shunsui on the bench.

"She is going to make it."

"Has she woken?"

"No, not yet."

"You plan on staying here 'til she does, I assume. I brought you some food." he said as he held out a bag of food.

"Thanks, Ukitake." Shunsui pulled out a rice cake and munched thoughtfully on it.

"It's not your fault, Shunsui. This was all unavoidable, we lost a lot of good people to this." Ukitake said.

"I just feel I have let her down. Lisa-chan was everything to her. And now she is gone, I don't know if I can fill that void, or if she would even let me."

"I got the impression that you and Oshima-san were quite close. I can tell she cares as much for you as she did for Lisa-san."

"You can? It's just that Hiro-chan took a long time to open up to Lisa-chan and then to me. But I can't compare to Lisa-chan, not in her eyes. And after this, I don't know if she will forgive me." Shunsui continued. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent Lisa-chan to help. I was sure it was something she and the others could handle. I did that for Urahara's benefit. He seemed so upset, was it an act? I have a hard time putting some of these pieces together."

Ukitake's eyebrows knitted together in thought. "He did seem genuinely upset about Hiyori-san going. He's either a great actor, or there are larger forces at play here. But sadly, it is done and there is nothing more we can do."

"You're right, I just need to figure out how to make it up to Hiro-chan somehow."

"I will be back later if you need anything." Ukitake placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Things will be ok. They always have a way of working themselves out."

Shunsui nodded. "Thanks." Left alone with his thoughts, he pondered ways to make it up to the girl. Later in the afternoon a messenger came by to inform him he will need to pick a new vice-captain by the end of the week. "This is too much to think about." He mumbled and he placed his hand on top of hers then laid his head on the edge of the bed. Soon he was fast asleep. Hours later he woke up to movement. He felt a hand move away from his as he lifted his head. Hiromi was awake.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hiro-chan? You're awake, how do you feel?"

"Tired...and hungry." She replied. He could see the sadness in her eyes as she expertly avoided eye contact.

"Well, I have some rice cakes here for you." He pulled one out and unwrapped and held it to her mouth. She blinked and looked at him. "Go on, it will help you get your strength back." She tentatively took a bite, and he continued on while he fed her. "You had me scared there. I didn't even see Ichimaru when I got there, so I don't know where he came from. I don't trust that kid."

"Ichimaru? What does he have to do with anything?" she asked.

"He was on the hill, he's the one that hurt you."

"It...it wasn't you?"

"It wasn't me what?"

"I..I thought...I thought it was you who did this." she replied closing her eyes.

"What? Whatever gave you that idea? I would never do that. No matter what you do, I would never do anything to hurt you. Even as you had your sword at my chest, the thought never crossed my mind." Shunsui exclaimed. "By the way, was that your sword release? I've never seen it before, it's impressive."

Hiromi grunted and turned on her side with her back to him. "I think I'd like to be left alone now, please."

Shunsui dropped his eyes to the floor and sighed. "I have some paperwork I need to catch up on. If you need me..."

"I won't"

"Very well. Rest easy." Shunsui closed the door behind him and left the building. _She is far from forgiving me I see._ He thought on the way back to the eighth division barracks.

Hiromi closed her eyes. _He looked so...helpless. I don't know what to do. Can I trust him? Can I even forgive him? _She sighed as she thought about Lisa, she missed her and nothing could replace her.

A few days later, Hiromi was still bemoaning her situation. She could tell her wound was healing and she was getting restless.

_Come visit us._ Shihai said. _Please._

Offering no resistance, Hiromi closed her eyes and entered her jinzen state. As soon as she entered, she felt the rain. She opened her eyes and looked around, some of the trees had lost their leaves and patches of grass were missing. Hiromi frowned, _It's reverting to the original state._

"Hiromi?" Shihai said. "Are you ok? No, that's a silly question, you aren't ok." Hiromi could tell the girl had been crying. Her eyes were a bit puffy and her nose was red.

"I'm fine." Hiromi stated.

"You can't lie to us." Shinu said as he picked her up in his arms. He promptly sat on the ground with her in his lap, his sister took a seat next to him. "You should know better than to try to lie to us. Look around you. This place is a wreck." He put an arm out and gestured. "It went south very fast Hiromi." He looked down at her, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. He brought a hand to the side of her face.

"Hiromi, we know you are hurting, we want to help. Whatever it takes, to make you happy again, we will do it." Shihai interjected.

"Can you bring Lisa back?" Hiromi asked as she looked at her.

Shihai dropped her eyes to the ground, "No, that is outside of our powers. I'm sorry." Tears began to roll down her face.

"I don't know what to do anymore." Hiromi confessed as she pressed herself closer to Shinu. He instinctively tightened his arms around her.

"We don't know how to fix it truthfully." He said. "Losing someone close is a hard thing to get past. Especially after what Lisa has done for you and what she meant to you. That's not something that will go away soon. Or ever, not completely anyways."

"But you still have Shunsui-chan! He cares a lot for you. I know he can help." Shihai said hopefully as she stroked Hiromi's arm.

Hiromi looked at the girl. "I...I don't know if I can forgive him." She averted her eyes and they landed on the tattoo of the three hearts on Shinu's chest. A modification had been made to them. It appeared there was a crack down the middle of the heart on the right, and the two halves were far apart from each other. She did not have to ask who's heart it represented. Each half was wrapped tightly with barbed wire, as if refusing to be rejoined or even touched.

The heart in the middle was a silver-gold color. It appeared to have a glow to it almost, but the glow wasn't reaching the other two hearts. She knew this was Lisa's. She took another look at the third heart. This heart represented her captain. The heart was cracked with bandages around it. From the looks of it, the heart was having trouble staying together.

"He is hurting too." Shinu said as she watched Hiromi. "Lisa was close to both of you and he had known her before you met her. It must be hard for him, losing her and failing you. This isn't his fault, you know."

"He sent her out there."

The boy clenched his jaw. "Stupid girl! There is no way he could have known what was going to happen. This was not his doing, the man needs you."

Hiromi pushed away from Shinu and stood up. The twins rose with her. "Are you ok?" Shihai asked.

At six feet he was only two inches taller than she was, she looked up at him. "I'm being childish, aren't I?" She asked. "It's time for me to grow up. Lisa may be gone and I may be in pain, but I can't let that cloud my judgment or my reason. I can't be selfish." Hiromi touched the heart that represented her. "It may take a while for that to be healed. The two pieces are so far apart, and the wire...," she lowered her head and her voice, "I'm angry, but I can't let it consume me again. Truthfully, there is nothing that anger can change. I can't let it get the best of me, ever again. I followed that path before. I just need to bottle this up and get over it."

The twins stared at her. Shihai gave her a half smile threw her arms around Hiromi's neck. Shinu mussed her hair. "Don't let it eat you up," Shihai said solemnly to the woman.

"Uh, Shihai? You're kind of choking me." Hiromi coughed out. Shihai was pulling her backwards.

"Oh! Sorry!" She resumed her cheerfulness as she dropped her arms to Hiromi's waist. She rested her cheek against Hiromi's shoulder.

"It's ok." Hiromi replied. "I can't let this get me down. I'm not the only one hurting and Shinu is right, I would be stupid if I thought that. Shunsui feels he has failed us both. I can't let him go through that alone. He is my only friend now. I have to find somehow to forgive him. Maybe he's right, he had faith in her and her abilities and assumed it was something she could handle." She mused.

"You need him as much as he needs you. Don't forget that." Shinu said. "You need him more than ever right now."

"I...I suppose. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him as well." Hiromi touched the bandaged heart on Shinu's chest. "He needs my help. Maybe I do need him." She looked around and noticed the rain had stopped. "I want to keep this place nice for the two of you, and I have to change some things for that to happen."

They nodded their agreement. She smiled at them, "Lisa-chan will always be in my heart and a part of me. I can never forget her." She looked at the sky and pointed. The twins followed and looked to where she pointed, their eyes rested on a bright star that hung near where the moon normally was.

"Oh!" Shihai clasped her hands together. "It's beautiful!"

Hiromi nodded. "She changed me, for the better. And she changed this place, that will be our reminder of her." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shinu brush his hand over his eyes. "Shinu? Are you crying?"

"No, I...well, maybe a little. We loved her too, you know. She will be missed." He replied.

Hiromi took his hand and held it to her cheek then kissed it. "Yes, she will be. I think it's time for me to leave the infirmary." She gave the twins each a kiss on the forehead and thanked them before leaving.

Hauling herself off of the bed, she proceeded to gingerly get dressed. As she finished putting on her shihakusho, someone opened the door.

"What do you think you are doing?" asked the girl who entered.

"What's it look like? I'm leaving." Hiromi replied, glaring at her.

"Um, well, let me see if you are cleared to leave." the girl backed out of the room and ran down the hallway.

_Like I'm going to stay here any longer than I have to. _Hiromi thought as she slid her zanpakuto into her sash. As she was about to step outside, the girl who caught her earlier came running up.

"I asked about your condition to make sure it was ok for you to leave." she panted. "You must take it easy for a few days, but you are free to go."

"Thank you." Hiromi said, stepping into the sunshine. She raised her eyes and looked at the sky. _It's a nice day for a leisurely walk back to the barracks._ The air was thick with the smell of sakura trees. _I love this time of year, the sakura trees are beginning to be in full bloom._ She made it a point to swing by the Kuchiki gardens. She was adept at slipping past the guards there, they never noticed her. The Kuchiki gardens were the best kept in the seireitei. It was overflowing with sakura trees and almost every other type of flower imaginable. As she strolled, she noticed that most were not in bloom yet.

She moved through the gardens soundlessly, keeping the foliage between herself and any windows. Disappointed in the lack of color, she figured the rest would bloom soon and she would visit again. As she left the Kuchiki grounds, she decided to make another detour. She wasn't expected anywhere today, so she decided to take her time.

Exiting the seireitei, she entered the first district of Rukongai. This area was known for its many shops and stores. She caught whiffs of hundreds of types of foods. She knew what she was looking for. First, she stopped at a bakery and picked up some steamed sake buns. They were her captains favorite. She then made her way to her favorite onigri shop. They had hundreds of types of the rice balls. As she wandered the aisles, she decided to try the takekono balls today. Rice balls were her favorite food and she always tried something new, almost every time.

She also decided to stop by a brewer. Hiromi knew her captain would drink just about any type of sake, but she decided to pick up some junmai daiginjo-shu, which is some of the best sake you could find. As a thrifty spender, she had more than enough to buy the sake.

The walk back to her barracks after shopping was uneventful. It was getting later in the day and most people were about to eat or in the process. Her stomach rumbled quietly, she decided it was a good idea she bought plenty of onigri.

Hiromi entered the barracks and headed straight for the captain's office, but her heart sank as she realized he probably wouldn't be there. It was his least favorite place, and it was late enough that the day was over in that aspect. Rounding the corner, she noticed a light was on and the door was halfway open.

_Well, I can turn off the lights at least and close things up for him._ She thought was she entered the room. The desk was the first thing she saw, and her eyes widened. Shunsui was sitting there completing some paperwork. He looked up and saw her standing there with a look of shock clearly on her face.

"Hiro-chan! Did they let you out?" He smiled widely at her.

"Well, I kind of told them I was leaving." Hiromi bit her lower lip. "They relented and just told me to take it easy for a few days. So, I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "I see. Glad to know you didn't break anything when leaving." He grinned at her.

"Me? I can't help my 'bull in the china shop' syndrome. I make a ruckus every where I go." She returned a smile.

Shunsui leaned to the side and peeked at the packages she had. "And, it appears you went shopping too. Anything good in those bags?"

"Maybe." She walked up to the desk and set them down. "I have something for you. First..." Hiromi opened a bag and pulled out the sake buns. "I thought you might be hungry."

"Oh, sake buns! My favorite! Hiro-chan are you trying to spoil me?" He cooed as he grabbed a bun.

"I don't spoil." she replied. "Well, I take that back." she said as she pulled out the junmai daiginjo-shu.

Shunsui's eyes widened as he realized what it was. "Hiro-chan, that's...that's the best present anyone has ever gotten me!" He leaped over the desk in one bound and scooped her into a bone-crushing hug. "My Hiro-chan cares for her captain! It warms an old, dying man's heart!"

"Hey, hey, easy on the hug, I'm still injured here." she said as she tried to push him away. "Plus, you aren't dying, nor are you that old."

"Oh you flatter me!" he said as he released her and looked at the bottle. "You must stay and share this wonderful gift with me, it's only fair. You bought this expensive sake for me, it's only natural that you partake in sampling it's exquisite taste alongside me." He took her hand and set guided her to the couch. "Here, sit."

He grabbed the food and sake and placed it on the table in front of her. He then went to the closest and brought out a small wooden case. "This is my best set of sakazukis, Ukitake got them for me a long time ago. I've never had much of an occasion to use them. I think this is a good time." He opened the box to reveal two ceramic saucers. They were hand painted, from the looks of it, with a floral pattern.

"They are lovely." Hiromi stated, staring at the saucers. "I don't really think this is much of an occasion, really." she dropped her eyes to the floor and slumped her shoulders a bit.

Shunsui cupped his hand under her chin and brought her face level to his. "It's always an occasion when I'm with you, Hiro-chan. Plus, we drink in remembrance tonight." She nodded and gave him a half smile.

The hours rocked on into the night as they talked about the last one hundred and fifty years. Shunsui even talked about the time before Hiromi joined the division. They both had great moments to share about their lost friend. At the end of the night, both of them were thoroughly drunk on the expensive sake. Soon ending due to them both passing out on the couch.

Upon waking in the morning, Hiromi noted that Shunsui was still sleeping soundly. She covered him with his pink kimono and slid out of the room with her remaining onigri.

Later that day, she heard a soft knock on her door. She knew who it was. "Come on in Shunsui." she called out.

"Hey, you knew it was me, huh?" He grinned at her.

"Of course I did." She smiled.

"So, I have a some things I need to talk to you about." He started.

Hiromi looked at him, she could tell he was a bit nervous, which was odd for him. She patted the seat next to her. "What's on your mind?" She set out a second cup and poured him some tea.

"I need to know that you are not going after Lisa. There is nothing we can do for her now and she is beyond our reach."

"But, captain..." Hiromi began to protest as she snapped her head up to face him.

"No buts on this, Hiromi. This is an order. If I thought going after her would help in any way, I would be right there with you. If you never hear me on anything, hear me on this, please."

"I..." The woman's shoulders slumped. She knew he was right. "Very well."

"Thank you." he started as he took a seat, "I know you are upset with me. Last night meant a lot to me. I need to know that you will be able to forgive me someday. I want to be here for you when you need me." He laid his hand on top of hers as he looked at her.

"Look, Shunsui, I am hurt, sad and angry, along other varied emotions. I was angry with you for letting Lisa go on her own." Hiromi sighed and looked in his eyes. "You and Lisa are the two most important people in my life. It hurts that she is gone, but I also realize I'm not the only one hurting." She placed her other hand on top of his. "I am here for you as well, Shunsui."

The man dropped his eyes to her hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out and he closed it. He started again. "I am left speechless, Hiro-chan. You honor me with such words." He looked at her again, and she could see a small glisten in his eyes. "You mean the world to me." He blinked his eyes to remove the wetness and brought his hand to her cheek. "Thank you, Hiro-chan."

Hiromi gave him a small smile before turning her face away from him. She brought her hand to her eyes to rid herself of the tears that were trying to form.

He turned back to his tea and let go of her hand. "I've also been informed I need to name a new vice-captain."

"Oh. That's fast." Hiromi looked down at her hands. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised really."

Shunsui placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's hard for both of us, but having a vacancy can cause dissent." Hiromi nodded at him as he continued. "I already know who'd I would like in the position. It's the only person who could ever fill it after Lisa-chan."

"You already know who?" Hiromi asked incredulously.

"Well, to me it's a no-brainier. There is no one else that could do this job, and that's you Hiro-chan."

Hiromi felt her jaw fall open. "You...you want me to be your vice-captain?"

"Yes, I do. You've always had the power to be a vice-captain, I've felt the power of your reiatsu a time or two, even though you keep it at such low levels. I just never mentioned it, because I wanted you to stay in my division. Leaving the division would have been the only way for you to become a vice-captain at the time." He replied.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say yes! Please? Say you will be my right hand. Say yes."

"I..I.." She fidgeted with her shihakusho.

"Come on, Hiro-chan. Don't make me beg, 'cause I will. You know I will." Shunsui pleaded with her.

"This is sudden, but if it's really what you want, I will do that for you." Hiromi replied.

The man looked relieved. "Thank you, Hiro-chan. I couldn't bear having anyone else as my vice-captain." He put his arm around her shoulders. "We will make it through this together, you know." He smiled down at her as she nodded at him.

_Maybe he is right, maybe things will be ok. We will make it through this together._ Hiromi thought.

_You will do this together. _Shinu said.

_We are here for you also._ Shihai echoed.

Hiromi smiled at her captain as they shared their tea together.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Yay another chapter! It's been fun writing this so far =D_

_For this chapter, I introduce a few new characters including some of my favorites._

_Don't worry though, Hiromi will be back, but it's been a few years since the last chapter, I think about 50 or 60 years. I have yet to master the 'time skip' thing haha!_

_For my friends that aren't familiar with Bleach, the timeline is somewhat hard to follow in the manga at times and sometimes inconsistent. From what I gather the age ratio is about 1:10 or 1:20. Which means for every 10 or 20 years as a 'soul' you age one year physically. This is definitely not precise. As some of the canon characters have been shown to be around 700 years old, but only look to be in their 30s. _

_Also, zanjutsu=sword skills or something like that =p_

_This is where the mature rating comes in. Mikiko is not a nice girl, she curses! So if that's not your thing, sorry!_

* * *

><p>Mikiko Tanuka grunted as her kido blew up before it hit the target. "Dammit!" she cursed under her breath.<p>

"Hey, Miki-chan, that was a good one!" Kazuki Ito called to her teasingly, his brown eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Shut up!" She yelled as she turned to him. "Hado No. 73 Soren Sokatsui!"

"Whoa, easy there, don't think you should try that without the incantation! It could..." Kazuki trailed off as the kido exploded. "Miki-chan? Are you ok?" The others in the class turned to stare at the cloud of smoke where Mikiko was standing. Kazuki jogged into the cloud and picked Mikiko up from the ground and shook her. "What were you thinking! You could have seriously hurt yourself with something like that!"

She glared at him as she wiped some of the soot from her face and shook her head. Ash fell from her short, curly brown hair. "Tch, I would have had it if I hadn't been provoked by you, idiot!" she said as she jabbed her finger at his chest.

"Ow!" He rubbed his chest, feigning hurt. "Anyways, class is done for the day. What say you and me head to Rukongai for a bit? I've been itchin' to go to the Rusty Dog."

"Hell yah!" Mikiko said emphatically. The Rusty Dog was a run down pub in the district were they had grown up. They frequented the place regularly before entering the academy. "Let's go!"

Kazuki grabbed her wrist as she started out of the door. "Hold it. Let's change first. I don't want any trouble for running around in our uniforms."

She pouted at the boy. "What's wrong with a little trouble?" She grinned mischievously at him.

He sighed at her. "You never change, Miki-chan. I'm going to invite a couple classmates on the way, meet you at the gate."

"Fine, I suppose I will put on some different clothes, these are covered with dirt anyways. Only because it's you." she yelled and stomped off to her room.

The two had grown up together in district seventy-nine of Rukongai. Kazuki had been taken in by Mikiko when he was very young, as she had protected him from a gang of thugs. At first, she had told him to stay away from her, but he continued to follow her around. She eventually relented, knowing a boy of his age would never be able to survive on his own. In their years together, they had many fights. Mikiko was hot-headed and would shoot her mouth off at anyone putting her or Kazuki down.

In later years, Mikiko had discovered the boy had spiritual energy similar to herself. She would steal as much food as she could to make sure he was well fed. Because of this and other factors, she kept them on the move. Never living in one part of the district too long. Years later, when he was much older, he discovered one of the reasons. Since she was female, men were constantly harassing her and at a younger age, some had forced themselves on her. She told him she would never allow that to happen again and wanted to become stronger than any man she met. Kazuki had vowed to himself when learning that, someday he would be strong enough to protect her as she had for him.

Kazuki had asked many times over the years about the Shino Academy, but Mikiko had always said it was no place for them. She told him there would be too many rules and politics. He had complained about it and said it would help them get stronger. She would always win the argument at the end.

That had all changed though when Mikiko had been on an errand and she ran across a rather large gang. Before she was able to escape unseen, one of them had grabbed her. She was out numbered and unable to retaliate. It times past, she had easily taken on groups of men, the highest number being six, as she was rather proud of that. This time, she was surrounded by numerous men, all very large. She had decided at that moment, she would die fighting. Mikiko would never give them what they sought for without a fight to the death. Before the fight had progressed far, a female soul reaper had shown up. The woman wore a badge around her left arm, and to Mikiko, she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, but left a few long bangs that fell around her face, framing it. She was a fierce and awesome fighter and dispatched the men without breaking a sweat or batting an eyelash.

Mikiko had taken that opportunity to run. She always felt cowardly for not staying long enough to thank the woman, but resolved at that point to become a shinigami. If that was the kind of power they possessed, she would achieve it. She wanted to become as skilled as the woman who saved her. There would never be another time where anyone would be able to take advantage of her.

She quickly threw on a black tank top along with black cargo pants and rushed out of the door. As she made it to the front gate, she realized she was the first there. Leaning against the wall, Mikiko plastered a scowl on her face and waited for Kazuki to show up.

_That bastard better not make me wait here all night for him. Who could he possibly be inviting to come along with us?_ She thought as she picked at her nails. Finally she spotted Kazuki coming towards her. He was accompanied by three others, who she recognized as sixth year students. _What the hell is he thinking? Bringing along some pansy sixth years to the seventy-ninth district. _She recognized them from one of her advanced kendo classes she took along with Kazuki.

"Hey! Miki-chan!" He yelled across the yard and waved to get her attention.

"Dumb ass, I'm not blind!" she yelled back. _What an idiot._ She sighed as she waited for the group to catch up to her. Kazuki had a big smile stretching across his face. "What're ya grinning like an idiot for?" she asked.

"No reason, I'm just looking forward to having a good time tonight." he replied. "By the way, This is Kira, Renji and Shouta." He said as he pointed each one out.

"Yo." she said as she nodded at them. She turned her back to them as she started to leave. "Come on, the sake's getting stale. Hope you pansies aren't scared of the seventy-ninth." She turned and grinned at them. The three sixth year students widened their eyes. "It's a pretty scary place."

"Are you sure we should be going to there?" The blond asked. "We could get into a lot of trouble there"

"Lighten up Kira," Renji interjected. "It won't be that bad. Plus, what's the harm in a little trouble." He elbowed Kira in the ribs.

"Yah, well, ok. Shouta?" Kira replied as he looked at the third boy.

"Huh? Oh, that's fine" Shouta replied absently.

Mikiko dropped back to walk behind the boys, she wanted to size them up. She was older than the sixth years, but she thought Kazuki might be close to them in age. The blond haired boy, Kira, seemed to be about her height. He seemed capable but hesitant. She concluded his hesitation could get him killed.

Looking at the next boy, Renji, she noticed he was taller than herself and Kazuki. He had bright red hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He had two tattoos on his eyebrows, they made him seem a bit fierce. He was well-built and muscular, he also carried himself in a way that gave him an air of confidence and fearlessness. Mikiko made note that he was probably the best fighter of the three.

Shouta was about Kazuki's height with long black hair that was pulled into a ponytail that hung down his back.. He was thin and lanky and glasses covered his intelligent green eyes. She decided he was probably best at kido rather than zanjutsu. Mikiko picked up her speed and resumed walking next to Kazuki. Soon they entered her home district.

"Hey, Miki-chan, wanna lead from here?" Kazuki asked. "You know the back alleys and best ways to travel, and I'm not sure I can remember it all like you."

She whacked him on the back of the head. "Maybe we should replace that pea-brain with something that is useful someday." She grinned at him as he rubbed his head. "I will lead." she said as she took off towards the pub. She expertly led them through the numerous twist and turns of the alleys until they came out at the front door of the Rusty Dog.

"Well, here we are." Kazuki stated. "Looks more run down than it used to huh?" He looked ever at Mikiko.

"Yeah, it does look a little shittier than usual."

"You have a great sense of direction, Mikiko." Kira commented.

"Uh, thanks. Guess growin' up here and sneakin' around alleys can really make ya think about where you're going." she said as she rubbed the back of her neck. "The place smells like piss as always."

Kira raised his eyebrows and looked at Renji. He got a shrug as a reply. "Let's go in! The smell of piss ain't gonna scare me away." Renji said.

Mikiko gave Renji a toothy grin. "That's what I like to hear. A man that's not afraid." She opened the door and they entered. She surveyed the room and spotted an empty table in the far corner. She moved quickly through the crowd and laid claim to the table. As she waited for the boys to join, she ordered each a round of sake from the barmaid across the room. The barmaid recognized her and it only took a quick hand signal to let her know what was needed. The four boys made it to the table and situated themselves around the table.

"This place is packed!" Kira said. He had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the din of the room.

"It's always like this." Kazuki replied as he took his seat next to Mikiko. "Miki-chan and I used to come here a lot before we started at the academy. Drink or fight, that's about the only thing to do around here."

"Damn right." Mikiko replied as the barmaid made it to their table. She set out sake for each of them.

They each downed their respective drinks, except Shouta who took a small sip from his. She ordered another round.

"And I thought my district was bad." Renji said as he watched a fight break out.

"Oh? What district did ya come from?" Mikiko asked.

"I grew up in the seventy-eighth district. I assumed this would be very similar, but from what I've seen it's much worse around here."

"Yeah, it's a real shit hole." she replied. "Assholes and idiots everywhere really." she scowled at the crowd.

Renji laughed. "Well, in that aspect it's the same as the seventy-eighth So what made you guys decide to leave this lavish environment for the academy?"

"Oh, Miki-chan was saved by an soul reaper angel and she wanted to grow up to be just like her." Kazuki crowed. She elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Hey, it's true!"

"Keep yer fuckin' trap shut if you don't want my foot in it!" She threatened as she ordered their third round of drinks.

"Scary." Kira whispered to Renji. Shouta blinked at the woman as he finished his first cup.

"So, what happened?" Renji prodded as he took a drink of the newly arrived cups.

Mikiko let out a large sigh. "Ugh, fine. I'll tell you guys. It's only cause if you say one word about it, I will personally beat the living shit out of each of you." She glared at the three.

Renji held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, you got us. We won't say a word will we?" He nudged Kira.

"N...Not at all." Kira sputtered out.

"I hold true to my promises, by the way." She narrowed her eyes. "Very well. This is how it went down. There I was, a young and beautiful lass. I was minding my own business on my way home from...ahem, acquiring, some food." She leaned forward on the table and finished another cup of sake. "So here I was, all alone in this dark alley. It was super creepy and I was super scared." She hugged herself for emphasis.

"You, scared? I don't believe that." Renji interjected.

"Shut up! I'm telling a story here, so be quiet." She glared at him until he nodded. "So, before I was so rudely interrupted, a beautiful, young lass, alone in a dark alley. Yeah, that was it. I was returning to poor Kazuki here. See, he was a tiny orphan and I had to look after him all by myself."

"Hey! I wasn't tiny! Not then anyways, we had already been together for over two hundred years! That was right before we entered!"

"Shut up! How the hell and I supposed to tell a story with all these goddamn interruptions?" She heaved a sigh.

"Sorry, please go on." Kazuki urged.

"Ok, but next interruption and I rip someone's tongue out!" She said as she slammed her hand on the table. The four boys cowered and pleaded with her to continue. They downed another cup. "I rounded a corner and wham, I was completely surrounded! There were tons of unruly men! I would say at least twenty of them or more! I was so completely scared out of my wits." She put the back of her hand to her forehead for emphasis. "There was no one around who could possibly save me from all of these ruffians. I decided I would have to kill them all myself! It was the only way for me to make it out of there alive. I fought and I fought, but I was quickly overwhelmed by their numbers. I despaired! I just wanted to make it home to my tiny orphan Kazuki!" She put an arm around him and pulled him close to her. He rolled his eyes and laughed.

She picked up the next cup of sake and downed it before continuing. "Don't laugh! I was so worried about you! My legacy! I couldn't let you starve to death or worse, freeze!" She pulled Kazuki closer to her, doing so caused his face to press against her chest, smothering him. "So I screamed, 'Don't worry, I am coming for you' as I was getting overwhelmed. Then all of a sudden there was a flash of light!" She released him and threw her arms up. He took a couple deep breaths and shook his head. Some of the patrons in the bar turned to look her way, but quickly dismissed the group.

"And you know what was in this spectacular flash of light?" She looked at the eager faces and no one answered. "Well, do ya?" she yelled at them.

"No, what?" Renji said.

"What was it?" Kira said at the same time.

Shouta said nothing but finished his second cup of sake and ordered them some more.

"Well, I'm glad you asked!" She grinned widely. "Contained within this brilliant flash of light was a woman! No! A goddess! She was the most beautiful creature in the world. She stepped out of her goddess light and began to slash through the men. Ten men went down with one slash!" She was on her feet and made a large slashing motion. "Then another ten, there could have been more. I was so scared, all I could do was stare at my savior, my goddess." Mikiko downed the full cup of sake in front of her and asked for another. "After cutting down all of those men, she came over to where I was. She extended her exquisitely manicured hand to me and asked me if I was ok."

Mikiko thanked the barmaid and sent her for more before continuing. "She said this to me: 'Why is such a young and beautiful lass out here alone at night in a dark alley?' I can never forget those lovely words. It was like a song when she spoke. She proceeded to tell me she was part of the Gotei Thirteen and I should consider joining as I had a strong spiritual energy. Just hearing her say that, was music to my ears. I had always wanted to become a soul reaper and here was this goddess of soul reapers telling me I should join her. She helped me return home to my humble abode where my tiny Kazuki waited for me, hungry and alone. She informed me he should join as well, we were so happy! We went and signed up for the academy the next day, didn't we Kazuki?" She gave him a lopsided grin as she finished off another cup of sake.

It was silent for a few moments after she finished the story. "Well?" She crossed her arms expectantly.

"That was amazin'!" Kira yelled. "That is the best shtory I think I've ever heard." he said slightly slurring.

"That was damn good." Renji commented, hiccuping and downing another cup of sake.

Shouta nodded, "I agree, that was very entertaining."

Kazuki put his arm around Mikiko's neck, "M...my Miki-chan here is the best shtory teller around." he added.

Mikiko grinned in triumph. Renji picked up the fresh cup of sake and raised it. "I propose a toast! To the best shtory teller ever!" They each lifted their cup and joined in on the toast.

The hours wound on as they shared stories late in to the night. They eventually decided they had enough and headed home.

"We should totally do thish again guysh." Renji said as they entered the dorms. He had Kira's arm thrown around his neck in order to support him.

"Totally should!" Kira shouted.

"Shhhh!" Renji snickered. "You'll wake people."

Mikiko leaned against Kazuki. "I vote...tomorrow night!" She pumped her free arm into the air.

Shouta, seemingly unfazed, nodded. "Perhaps."

Kazuki laughed. "For sure! Now let's get you to your room." He waved a goodbye to the other three boys and lead Mikiko to her room. After a few attempts at unlocking the door and dropping the key, Mikiko finally got it open and they stumbled inside. "I'm glad you don't have a roommate. We'd totally wake them up!" he snickered.

Mikiko let out a laugh and swayed on her feet. Kazuki caught her and led her to her bed. "Ok, let's get you to bed."

"Kazuki?"

"Yes?"

"I looooove you, Kazu-chan!" she cooed.

Kazuki laughed, "I love you too, Miki-chan. You get good rest, I'll see ya tomorrow." He locked the door behind him and proceeded to stumble back to his own room.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Mikiko woke with a slight headache. _Why do I...oh that's right..._ She then remembered how much she drank the night before. _I actually had a pretty good time with those guys. They aren't half bad._ She thought. _Maybe we will do it again sometime._

She realized she was still in last nights clothes and decided to go for a bath. As she let her bath warm up, she took a look in the mirror. The tattoo on her right arm was unfinished. She decided today would be a good time to go get it finished. She needed a little sake to loosen her up before hand though. As it was already afternoon, she figured that was as good as any time to start. She pulled out the sake bottle she had stashed under her bed and poured a cup. She took a sip and walked over to the bath. She set the bottle and the cup on the stand and climbed in. She took another sip and settled into the bath to relax.

After her bath, Mikiko dressed and made her way towards her old district. She knew the tattoo parlor would be open. He was most always open. Out of habit, she slid through the unused back alleys of district seventy-nine. Soon she was standing in front of Ruchi's tattoo parlor. She pushed the door open and entered.

The stench of sweat hit her as she went through the front door and she gagged. "Hey, Ruchi!" she called out.

A heavy set man came through the door from the back room. He pulled out a rag and wiped the sweat from his face. "Yo, Mikiko. Back for the rest, huh? Been a while, was wonderin' if ya forgot about little ol' me."

She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the man. He was a large man, what muscles he had were hidden beneath rolls of fat. He had a habit of constantly sweating. Mikiko was forced to get her tattoos there as he was cheap as dirt and the only place in the district. Fortunately for her, he also did pretty decent work. "Hah! Of course I forgot about ya. Easy to forget an ugly mug like yours. Just haven't had the time to get here and get this finished."

"Bitch! I'm not ugly!" he protested. "So what do you have in mind for today? Shall I tattoo your breasts as you've always been wantin'?"

"Not today, pervert. I want to finish my right forearm. That's not too complicated for you now is it?" she glared at him.

"Oh, of course not, Tanuka-sama!" He said as he backed up and put his hands up in defense. "Come on back and I can start on you right away!"

She grinned triumphantly as she followed him to the back. Despite being overweight, the man was a tough fighter. She had witnessed that a few times. When she came to get her first tattoo he had also learned that she was a better fighter than he was. Mikiko was smarter and faster, and had successfully broken his nose and jaw on her first visit. Being the kind of man he was, he was unable to resist when a girl entered his shop. She was used to that type of treatment. Only about one in twenty men she came across did not attempt to have their way with her. It had molded her, for better or for worse. Ever since her first visit, Ruchi had all but kowtowed to her now when she entered.

A few hours later, she emerged with a fresh tattoo. Mikiko appraised the work and paid the pudgy man. The alternating wire and bones wrapped once around her forearm in a snaking pattern, then wrapped around her wrist. She had started that tattoo about a year ago and only had her shoulder and upper arm finished. This completed the pattern on her full arm.

"What a great day! I feel spectacular today. What shall I do with the rest of my afternoon?" She mused out loud as she wandered back towards the academy. _I know, I will invite Kazuki out for drinks again, we had a blast last night and there are no classes tomorrow._ She made her way to Kazuki's room and pounded on the door.

"Kazuki! Open up!" She yelled at the door.

"Just a minute!" she heard him yell from inside. Soon the door cracked open and Kazuki stood in front of her. It was almost evening, but all he had on was a pair of pants. "Hey, Miki. What's up?" He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, hey there sexy!" She teased, unphased at his half dressed state. It had been some time since she had last seen him without a shirt. _He's growing up nicely. He will have the girls all over him soon enough. _She thought as her eyes traveled over his toned chest and arms and rested on the necklace he was wearing. Her expression softened for a moment as she lightly ran her fingertips across it. "You still have that old thing?" She asked quietly.

His hand instinctively reached to touch the necklace, as he often did. "Yeah, I like it." He chuckled. The beaded necklace had been a gift from Mikiko. She made it for him when he was quite young from pilfered beads. He never took it off, but he would never tell her that.

Dropping her hand quickly, she laughed off her reverie. "Only half dressed?"

He blushed slightly. "Um, well you caught me." He grinned at her. "I was still lazin' around in bed."

"Bed? It's super late. Look, I spent the afternoon at the tattoo parlor!" She showed off her freshly tattooed arm.

He took her left hand and lifted it up for a better look. "Ah, very nice." He said appraisingly. "Finally finished off your right arm, I see. I was wondering when you would do that. I like it."

"Thanks! I knew you would love it!" She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. He stumbled backwards a step. She released him and walked into his room. "So, any plans for this evening?"

"Plans? None here. Why, what's on your mind?"

"I figured we'd go drinking, what do ya say?" she smiled sweetly at him.

"Ah, we did have a good time last night, huh? I will ask them to come along again, eh?"

"Do it."

"Alright, meet you at the gate then." He said as he pulled on a shirt and left.

_Another fun night! _She thought happily as she walked towards the gate. _It's kinda nice to have a few friends even if only for a short while._

Soon, she saw Kazuki approaching. There was a new face in the group, apparently replacing Shouta. The group comprised of Renji, Kira, Kazuki and an unfamiliar girl.

"Hey, Mikiko!" Renji yelled and waved.

"Yo, Red." she smirked at him. "So, who's the newbie, and what happened to Shouta? Too much for him?" The girl was shorter than she, with blond hair and green eyes.

"This is Kaiyo-san. She's a sixth year with us, and in our advanced placement class." Kira stated.

"Sup, I'm Mikiko."

"Hi, Mikiko-san, nice to meet you." Kaiyo replied.

"Shouta said he wasn't up for coming out tonight." Kira said.

"I guess it was too much for him then! What a wuss!" Mikiko spat out. Kaiyo raised her eyebrows as she chuckled at the girl.

"We going back to the same place as last night?" Renji asked. "That was the cheapest sake I've had!" He grinned.

"Of course we are, where else would we go?." Mikiko said. Renji shrugged his shoulders.

They successfully navigated back to the seventy-ninth district and settled themselves into the same table as the night before. The evening passed quickly as they shared stories and laughs. They decided by the end of the night, it would be a weekly occurrence. They kept their word and went out together on the weekends. The months flew by and pretty soon graduation was upon them.

The day before graduation, Kazuki was heading towards the dorms with Renji and Kira.

"Graduation tomorrow, huh?" Kazuki said to Renji.

"Yeah, 'bout damn time too!" Renji said as she slammed his fist into his hand.

Kira nodded. "Yeah, we don't know what divisions we are going into yet though. Well, I think Kaiyo-san does. She is joining the ninth division under Captain Tosen."

"I hear he's a good captain." Kazuki replied.

"So have I." Renji said. "We've talked about it a bit and I am thinking the rest of us will join the fifth division along with Momo Hinamori-san. We still have until tomorrow to make up our minds though"

"Captain Aizen, huh? He seems like a pretty nice captain from what I've heard." Kazuki said.

"Yah, Hinamori-san is pushing for us to join with her." Kira said.

"Hey, where's Mikiko?" Renji asked.

"Ah, she already went to her dorm. She wanted me to remind you that we are going out tomorrow after graduation."

"Awesome! Can't wait!" Renji replied. "Catch ya tomorrow then!"

They parted ways and prepared for what the next day would bring.

The next day the graduation ceremony dragged on for hours. Mikiko yawned and fidgeted next to Kazuki for the entire duration. _This takes forever. I'm going to dread when it's finally our turn to graduate._ She thought.

_If this doesn't end soon, Miki is going to explode._ Kazuki thought as he watched her fidget. He placed a hand on her wrist and she visibly calmed down. She glanced over at him and made a conscious effort to remain quiet.

"...and that concludes our ceremony. Congratulations graduates!" the master of ceremonies said.

A round of applause went up and Mikiko jumped out of her seat. "Finally!" She shouted. "Let's get outta here and get ready to go out!" She grabbed Kazuki's hand and dragged him towards the dorms. "Ok, go change." she ordered as she shoved him down the hall towards his room. "See ya at the normal spot!"

Minutes later, Mikiko was standing at the gate. She was dressed in her normal black tank top and cargo pants. _I can't believe they are going to be gone now. I suppose I won't see them again after tonight._ _At least I still have Kazuki. _She sighed.

She spotted the others coming her way and waved.

"Hey, all grow'd up now huh?" She joked as the group neared her. She threw her arm around Kaiyo. "I see our Kai-chan is entering division nine under that Tosen guy. I hear he's blind, that true?"

"That's Captain Tosen, and yes he is blind." Kaiyo replied as she smiled widely. "He is a respectable leader, he believes in justice and peace and I think I can follow a man like that." she grinned at Mikiko. Over the year, Kaiyo had grown quite fond of Mikiko. She surmised it had been since they were quite opposite. She would tolerate her brash behavior and oftentimes even mother the girl. Even though she disagreed strongly with Mikiko's love for fighting and instigating, she refrained from mentioning it. She had made the mistake of trying to explain that not everything had to be a fight with bloodshed, but it did not end well. She thoroughly enjoyed Mikiko's stories though. It seemed to her than the weekends they spent together brought them all closer together as friends.

"Whatever! I don't think I'd wanna join that division anyways."

Kaiyo chuckled at the woman. "I think the boys here chose differently."

"That's right, we are going into the fifth division along with Hinamori-san here." Kira said as a small woman popped out from behind him.

"Oh, shit! I didn't see you there!" Mikiko said, somewhat surprised as she spotted the small woman. Normally when surprised like that, Mikiko would lash out. Her momentary flash of anger quickly dissipated as the girl smiled sweetly at her. She was small and almost childlike in her features.

"Sorry! I'm kind of short, you see. I'm Momo Hinamori, nice to meet you!"

"Yah, short is right! I'm Mikiko!" She patted the short girl on the top of the head, not being mindful of her hair that was pulled back into a bun. "Going to celebrate with us then?"

"That's right!" The girl grinned widely as she tried to put her hair back in its place. "Are you sure it's safe to go to the seventy-ninth district?"

"Of course, we've been goin' for months, plus Kazuki and I used to live there. It's as safe as a daycare." Mikiko replied as she grinned somewhat sadistically. "Well, good to have you along. I hope you can hold your sake!"

"Hah! You should see Miki-chan drink! She could shame most men!" Renji interjected.

Mikiko knocked him on the top of the head. "Only Kazuki can call me that, idiot!"

"Hey! I can call you what I like!" Renji yelled.

"You may have just graduated, but I can still kick your ass!" With that, she punched him into the wall.

"Why you little bitch!" Renji said as he popped up and rubbed the side of his face.

"Are they always like this?" Momo whispered to Kaiyo.

The blond girl chuckled. "Yeah, mostly. Until Kazuki-san stops them. Don't let it fool you though, they are good friends." Momo blinked as they continued yelling at each other.

"Ok, guys," Kazuki put a hand on Mikiko's shoulder. "Enough, let's party, huh?"

"Hell yeah!" she replied as she glanced back at Kazuki and took a deep breath to recompose herself.

Renji threw and arm around Mikiko's shoulders and pumped his fist into the air. "Damn straight, let's go!"

Once they made it to the Rusty Dog, they took up their usual table. Mikiko sat on the far side of the table with Kazuki on her right and Renji on her left. The other three sat opposite. The barmaid brought them each two cups to start with as normal.

Mikiko stood up. "A toast! To the recent grads! Red, Kira, Momo and Kaiyo!" she raised her cup.

"Here, here" They said in unison and downed the sake.

"So," Mikiko started, "why aren't you guys going to join the ninth division with Kaiyo? Why the fifth?"

"They have a case of hero worship, I do believe." Kaiyo replied, winking at her.

"Shut up! We do not!" Renji replied.

"Captain Aizen is a great teacher and mentor." Momo replied.

"Plus, he saved them from a bunch of hollows." Kaiyo said.

"He saved you as well Kaiyo-san." Kira pointed out and she nodded.

"Oh? So, did he appear in a flash of brilliant light or anything?" Mikiko asked in all seriousness.

"You could say that." Momo laughed. "We were sent on a field exercise to the world of the living to exterminate some hollows in one of our advanced classes."

"Oh, how excitin'!" Mikiko exclaimed. "I wish I could go to the world of the living!" She sighed and downed another cup of sake.

Momo smiled at her. "You two are second year students?"

"Yeah, we are." Kazuki answered. "Miki-chan and I are in advanced placement classes. A real pain sometimes"

"It's not a pain! Idiot!" Mikiko said as she smacked him on the back of his head. "It's a fuckin' challenge and I like challenges!"

Kazuki rubbed his head as he gave the woman a half smile. "Yeah, it's a challenge alright."

"Ah, you should be able to conduct some exercises in the world of the living when you are sixth year students for sure." Momo replied.

Mikiko grinned. "Sounds fun! But, please Momo, continue with your story!" She said as she downed more sake.

Momo nodded. "There were many hollows. And our group leader, Shuhei Hisagi-san, told us to run. It was quite scary. Numerous huge hollows had appeared in the area. We were about to run, but I saw that Hisagi-san was about to be overwhelmed. I couldn't bear that. I turned back to help him. The other three here decided to turn back as well."

"Yeah, we saw you turn back and we couldn't let you go alone." Kira commented as he finished his sake.

"Very brave of you, Kira-kun." The small girl said. "Hisagi-san was in trouble, but the three of us were able to help him out and defend against some of the attacks." She sighed. "But soon, there were too many and we were unable to handle them all. They had already killed two of our classmates, we feared we were next."

"Damn hollows! I wouldn't let them touch anyone!" Mikiko stated emphatically as she downed another cup.

"That's our Miki-chan! She'd slaughter 'em all!" Renji said.

Mikiko elbowed him hard in the ribs and held up a fist to his face. "You better watch it, Red!"

"Hey, ouch!" He feigned a pained look and stuck out his bottom lip. "That was a compliment!"

"Yeah right, ya big baby." Mikiko scoffed. "Continue, Momo!"

"Well, just as we were about to be overwhelmed, Captain Aizen and Vice-captain Gin Ichimaru showed up and finished off the hollows. They were pretty impressive." Momo smiled. "They were smooth and quick, and I decided right there, I would join the fifth division."

"You were right Kai-chan! It is hero worship!" Mikiko joked as Kaiyo smiled, her eyes sparkling. "So why aren't you going to the fifth? I know you said you liked that Tosen guy, but what made you decide that?"

"Well, Hisagi-san, the one that led our expedition, entered the ninth division and he gave me a good idea of how things are run. I believe in justice and as long as that's what they stand for, that is the division for me." She smiled.

"I see...I have plenty of time to figure out what division I want to go into!" Mikiko stated.

"Yes, four years to be exact" Kazuki said.

"Don't remind me!" The girl groaned.

"I just hope I can do my best for Captain Aizen. I would hate to think he could have me transferred out if I didn't perform well." Momo said.

"You will do just fine, Hinamori-san." Kira replied.

"I have every confidence that each of you will do very well in the Gotei Thirteen." Kazuki stated.

Momo smiled at him. "Thanks, Ito-san."

"Damn right we will!" Renji said and Kira nodded.

The rest of the night went smoothly as they discussed what it would be like in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Each offering their own opinion. After the evening was finished, they said their good nights and parted ways. Mikiko happily stumbled to her room and locked herself inside. Flopping onto her bed, she promptly passed out.


End file.
